In Pennsylvania, all students are legally entitled to certain education services and adequate curriculums. In Philadelphia however, many of these education services are not being fulfilled.

In September 2013, Philadelphia schools began operating on what District officials themselves described as a “Doomsday Budget.” Soon after, the Law Center, Parents United, and the Media Mobilizing Project launched myphillyschools.com. Through this online portal and through paper filings, Philadelphia parents have submitted over 825 complaints to PDE documenting dire school conditions. PDE, which has governed Philadelphia public schools since 2001, is required to investigate these formal complaints.

After no response from the PDE, The Law Center filed a suit on behalf of seven Philadelphia School District parents and Parents United for Public Education in the Commonwealth Court alleging that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has violated its legal obligation to investigate allegations of massive curriculum deficiencies in Philadelphia public schools.

On October 5, 2016, as part of a settlement of this lawsuit, PDE created its first-ever formal policy and procedure for accepting and responding to complaints from parents, teachers and advocates about curriculum deficiencies in public schools.